The summer months along the Pacific Northwest Coast are known for quick-moving areas of dense fogs. If you visit any of the small towns that dot the coast during one of these fogs you would certainly hear the low, booming foghorns which almost sound like a cow mooing, only many times louder and deeper. The foghorns sound at regular intervals and are usually located on buoys on open water just outside the mouths of harbors. Sometimes fog is so thick that after passing through it you feel as if you could wring water out of your clothes.
One sunny August morning, Steve Sackman and a group of friends set off from near the mouth of the Quilayute River in Washington to go fishing on the Pacific in a 24-foot boat. Not long after they were out, they hooked into a 35-pound salmon and were having a great time trying to land it on the boat when unexpectedly a giant fog rolled in. The fog was so thick that the men on the boat couldn’t see more than several yards in any direction and soon became disoriented.
The mostly uninhabited coast is dangerous in this area with lots of sea stacks, dangerous currents and rocky islands. The fog blotted out all sight of the landmarks on shore that they were using to steer by. It blotted out all sight of the sun so that the men on board had little hope the fog would soon burn off. They had a compass on board but it seemed dreadfully insufficient to guide them through the many dangerous obstacles in the water. They might have passed within several yards of a safe haven and never known it. Unfortunately, in this sparsely populated region there were no foghorns to guide them to safety.
When it became apparent the fog was not just a small patch but instead a massive fog bank, Steve Sackman took the only sensible course of action. He called for help. His two-way radio was broken and could only receive messages and not send them. So Steve called for help on his cell phone. The 9-1-1 operator quickly put him in contact with the Coast Guard. The problem with calling on a cell phone was that the Coast Guard could not get a fix on the boat’s location like they could if he was calling on a radio. The Coast Guard realized that the lives of the men on the small boat were at risk in the fog and organized a large search effort to find them. They called in several boats, helicopters and planes; one search plane even came from as far away as northern California. They searched over a thousand square miles of sea to find the men.
For a good part of the day and all the night, as well as the morning of the following day, the fishing boat remained lost in the fog. Early in the afternoon of the second day a fishing boat with a much better electronic navigation system was cruising along, monitoring the Coast Guard’s effort to find the lost boat on the radio, when they spotted the missing men in the boat. They were able to lead the missing boat to a Coast Guard ship which eventually brought them to safety.
A day and a half is a long time to spend lost in the fog at sea. However, a great many people are remaining lost in a different type of fog for a lot longer than a couple of days. It seems as if a great fog bank of unbelief has rolled in over the hearts and minds of many people and is blocking out the knowledge of God from their sight. Just as the fog blotted out the sight of the sun from the fishermen on the boat, so the fog of unbelief is blotting out “the Sun of righteousness [who shall] arise with healing in His wings” from the hearts and minds of people (Mal. 4:22But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2)).
The Sun of righteousness is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. His righteousness shines infinitely brighter than any other who has ever lived. In the Gospels you can read of His perfect life in the midst of all sorts of evil. His perfect devotedness to others even led Him to the cross where He gave His life a sacrifice for sinners.
The fog of unbelief is so thick that men can’t see for themselves how near God is to them. They don’t see that it is God who made them, and God who has cared for them every moment of their lives, and who even now at this very second is the One who gives them breath to keep them alive: “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:2525Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (Acts 17:25)).
Don’t let the fog bank of unbelief that seems to have covered so much of the world keep you from coming to the Savior. God loves you! He has done all that is necessary so that the guilt of your sin might be put away forever. If you have been wandering around lost in the fog of unbelief, it is not too late to change. Call out to God for help, open your eyes to see His wonderful grace, believe and receive the salvation which is in Jesus Christ alone.